ADSL Broadband Overview

ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line and is currently one of the fastest internet connections available. Previously the fastest available connection was that of a 56Kpbs dial up modem, but now ADSL has been made affordable as it uses existing phone lines, rather than having to install expensive cables.

DSL refers to an umbrella term for a bunch of different related technologies. Sometimes you'll see it written as xDSL, to show that you're talking about the umbrella technology, not a specific DSL product such as SDSL, ADSL, RADSL, etc.

West Australian Networks offers many premium business plans for ADSL connections and also offers cheaper budget ADSL plans for home use. We also offer SHDSL connections which give the same speeds for downloading and uploading, as opposed to ADSL which has a greater download speed and slower upload speed.

  • Find out more about our Budget DSL product here .
  • Find out more about our Business DSL product here .

Benefits of ADSL

ADSL Internet offers many advantages over dial up and ISDN internet. Firstly, it is the fastest connection available which is easily affordable, not just for business use, but also for home use. Our access plans can be tailored to your personal or business needs.

Internet access speeds over ADSL broadband can range from 256/64 Kbps (download/upload) to a whopping 2048/2048 Kbps. This can be up to 30 times faster than a regular dial-in connection. The speed of transferring files over the internet would be greatly increased.

ADSL Internet also provides continuous access. This means that it is always on, as soon as you turn on your computer you will have direct internet access. ADSL also allows you to use the phone while connected to the net, meaning no more missed calls!

ADSL Availability

The first step is to check if your phone number is connected to an ADSL enabled exchange. You can do this by entering the required phone number into our online availability checker located on our front page (www.westnet.net.au). This will tell if you are able to receive ADSL or not. If you can you will told and given a link to apply on line. If not, you are given a link to a demand register. Please fill in your details as it gives us the opportunity to get back to you as soon as ADSL becomes avilable in your area.

If you are looking for business grade services you will need to contact us to be sure your exchange is business grade enabled. . All you need to do is e-mail or call us us with details of the proposed location for installation of the DSL service and include a phone number that is currently in use at the building. An online lookup tool will be available shortly.

We offer business and budget grade DSL services all over Australia.

What Do I Need For ADSL Internet ?

You will need a DSL capable router or modem (router, modem and firewall combination units are available) to connect your computer(s) to the DSL line. West Australian Networks can supply, deliver and install the modem/router that you need if required.

DSL routers allow you to easily connect more than one computer to your DSL line and they can also provide hardware firewall capabilities for added security if you wish.

West Australian Networks ADSL Plans

We do offer a cheaper budget range of DSL access accounts , but do not recommend them for business clients. Click here to view a comparison data sheet (158Kb .pdf) West Australia Network's services, are amongst the cheapest DSL services on the market, and do represent the best value for money, for the end customer.

You can find a comparison of the budget service versus the business grade service below.

Value for money is based on what you get, for what you pay. If your business has 20 users and has its own mail server, and uses over 3 GB per month, West Australian Networks might not only be cheaper in price but it will be more flexible, more reliable and faster than other providers and other technologies such as ISDN, Fibre, DDS and Frame Relay. The reasons for this are as follows: -

  • How your data is measured is important in the total cost of service. With some other providers your data is measured on the inbound and on the outbound and added together. With West Australian Networks business grade services the data is measured on which ever is the highest - inbound or outbound. For example 100 MB plus 40MB is 140MB if added together, but if you take the highest it is only 100MB. For our budget plans the data is only measured on the inbound (downloads).
  • What data costs you are being charged makes a huge difference to the total cost of a service. If you start at an $89 plan per month, but your data charges over the limit are 16.9 cents per MB (even higher with some ISP's), you will be paying more than if you paid for a more expensive plan with lower data costs.
  • Throughput of data on your ADSL link - Are you getting what you think? Our 2 Mb service has been tested to download approximately 200 kilobytes per sec. Another 1.5 Mb ADSL provider has been tested to download approximately 50 kilobytes per sec! (you get what you pay for don't you)
  • Greater Security of your network through the address translation from public to private. This means hackers who attack public address, do not get past your gateway server, as it is not visible to the world.
  • How long you keep technology before it becomes obsolete is very important in considering the value for money proposition. Further the DSL router can simultaneously be used for VOIP (Voice Over IP or VODSL Voice over DSL as some refer to it) between offices and dedicated datalink's between sites. Other platforms require additional hardware to do these other services. Certain areas can scale to 6 Mb capacity (can your current provider?). Imagine "free" phone calls between offices and home etc now there is a saving.
  • Flexibility of ADSL link determines the ability to integrate with your network requirements. Other providers have different systems, and applications such as PC anywhere, and video conferencing do not work. This truly separates the residential from our business class ADSL. There are no limits on what can be used on our business grade plans, no ports blocked as with other providers.
  • Symmetric and Asymmetrical service gives the required flexibility to suit all network designs. Providers, other than West Australia Networks cannot provide the symmetric (SHDSL) services up to 2 Mb in certain exchanges. A symmetric service saves courier fees for companies with large files that need to be sent. Web servers can be located at the business premise for easy updates to web sites. This can save on web hosting services.

  • Limited number of users to an ADSL link may mean you need to pay extra to service the above 20-user office. Services are now pinged by some ISP's to detect networks on the end of ADSL links and extra charges will be invoiced if this is identified. West Australia Networks has unlimited users per ADSL service.

  • With a mail server, it is essential that static IP's are available with the service, otherwise you cannot run your mail server. West Australia Network's end customers have this supplied, not all other providers can do this and some even block port 25 and 110 preventing a mail server from operating. Port 80 is also blocked by some preventing web servers from running.

  • What is the true cost of service if you loose a customer or sale, if your data services were down for anything up to 48 hours? I quote from another provider's web site on ADSL "Reliability: ADSL is a high speed, permanent, low cost broadband product. It should be noted that reliability is not guaranteed , primarily due to the nature of the medium - copper wire. If reliability is the foremost need on your list of considerations, you may wish to consider another medium, such as ISDN. While the product may occasionally lose its route, less than 0.25% of our existing clients are faulted at a given time. Should an ADSL connection go down, once _____ is notified by you, a fault is lodged. Fault resolution time is normally from 24 - 48 hrs , however timing may differ from connection to connection."

West Australia Networks end customers have the satisfaction of knowing that they have a guarantee on reliability. West Australian Networks has a national 99.999% target availability and has achieved this over the last 12 months, with a service level agreement to protect clients.

Don't get caught out on the first impression of price, get the best value for money!